Editor’s note: The following press release was received from the Whitewater Police Department on February 21.
On Tuesday, February 20, 2024, at 9:06 p.m., Whitewater Police received a report of an armed robbery at the BP Gas Station at 1138 W. Main St. in the City of Whitewater. The suspect, a 19 year old male, entered the gas station and displayed a facsimile (replica) firearm. The male demanded a pack of cigars, left the gas station, and fled in a vehicle. Officers located the suspect at Knilans Hall on the UW-Whitewater campus, and he was taken into custody without incident at 10:13 p.m.
The suspect was subsequently confined at the Walworth County Jail. Charges for Armed Robbery (Wis. Stat. 943.32(2)), Disorderly Conduct (Wis. Stat. 947.01(1)), and additional related charges will be forwarded to the Walworth County District Attorney’s Office.
The Whitewater Police Department would like to thank the UW-Whitewater Police Department and the Walworth County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance in this incident. It is noted that this case has not been concluded. Unless a judgment of conviction is entered, the defendant is presumed innocent of all charges.
Nota del editor: el siguiente comunicado de prensa se recibió del Departamento de Policía de Whitewater el 21 de febrero.
La policía de Whitewater realiza un arresto en el robo de la gasolinera BP
Whitewater, WI – 21 de febrero de 2024 – El martes, 20 del febrero de 2024, a las 21:06 horas, la Policía de Whitewater recibió un informe de un robo a mano armada en la gasolinera BP en 1138 W. Main St. en la ciudad de Whitewater. El sospechoso, un hombre de 19 años, entró en la gasolinera y exhibió una réplica de arma de fuego. El hombre exigió un paquete de cigarros, salió de la gasolinera y huyó en un vehículo. Los agentes localizaron al sospechoso en Knilans Hall, en el campus de UW-Whitewater, y fue detenido sin incidentes a las 22:13 horas.
Posteriormente, el sospechoso fue recluido en la cárcel del condado de Walworth. Los cargos por robo a mano armada (Wis. Stat. 943.32(2)), conducta desordenada (Wis. Stat. 947.01(1)) y otros cargos relacionados se remitirán a la Fiscalía del Condado de Walworth.
El Departamento de la Policía de Whitewater desea agradecer al Departamento de la Policía de UW-Whitewater y a la Oficina del Sheriff del Condado de Walworth por su ayuda en este incidente. Cabe señalar que este caso no ha concluido. A menos que se dicte una sentencia condenatoria, se presume que el acusado es inocente de todos los cargos.
Nancy with children, Tim, Bill, Amy, and daughter-in-law, Lisa
Gus Schumacher, grandson of Nancy Cooper (longtime resident of Whitewater, currently resident at Fairhaven), won the gold medal in World Cup cross country ski race in Minneapolis.
From the Minneapolis Star Tribune – February 18, 2024 – Click here to see the entire article
“American Gus Schumacher claims shocking win in World Cup distance race in Minneapolis The first World Cup cross-country ski race held in the U.S. since 2001 gets an American winner not named Jessie Diggins.
Gus Schumacher, a 23-year-old from Alaska, won the men’s 10-kilometer freestyle race at Theodore Wirth Park on Sunday, becoming the first American man to win a World Cup cross-country skiing distance event since 1983.
The race used a staggered start, with skiers going off every 30 seconds. Schumacher started 35th out of 76 skiers and finished in 20 minutes, 52.7 seconds. Then he waited.
The leaders in the World Cup standings, all Norwegians, were all still on the course. One by one, they finished, and Schumacher remained atop the leaderboard.
Overall points leader Harald Oestberg Amundsen, who is also on top of the distance standings, arrived first, in 20:57.1, good for only second place. Then came Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo, Saturday’s sprint champion, in 20:59.02. The last skier to worry about was Paal Golberg, who started 70th. He crossed the finish line in 20:58.5, in third place.
Chants of “Gus! Gus! Gus!” and “U-S-A! U-S-A!” filled the stadium. Schumacher was mobbed by his U.S. teammates, and skiers from other countries joined in the celebration. He was in tears in a postrace interview.
“This has been the best day ever … Thank you, Minneapolis!” he said.”
Magic in Minneapolis: Schumacher Wins, Diggins Third
With tears streaming down their faces, Gus Schumacher won his first career World Cup and Jessie Diggins stepped on the podium in third place at the Stifel Loppet Cup in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The weather warmed up for Sunday’s race with a deep crew of Americans ready to attack the 10k skate course. The crowd showed up in droves, with another 20,000 people arriving to see their favorite ski racers race the local track at Wirth Park.
The men went first, with Stifel U.S. Ski Team’s Schumacher skiing a strong race to take the lead, but he would have to sit for more than 40 athletes to see if the result would hold. Racer after racer came through the finish line as Schumacher’s eyes grew wider, continuing to beat Olympic medalists and world champions. His teammates gathered around him in the leader’s box with tears beginning to flow as the last racer crossed the finish line, confirming Schumacher’s win with yells and hugs.
“It’s hard to believe,” said a teary-eyed Schumacher. “I’m just so grateful for this whole team and everyone being here. It represents something big for our team and I really love doing it with these guys… This has been the best day ever.”
Schumacher was the first American man to win a distance World Cup in 41 years, since Olympic silver medalist Bill Koch won in a 30k in Sarajevo in 1983. The last American man to win a non-distance race was Simi Hamilton, who took a sprint in Lenzerheide in 2013, 11 years ago. Schumacher had also never podiumed; his previous best result was fourth.
It was also another feather in the cap for the successful Stifel U.S. Ski Team men, who have now accrued three podiums this season from three men: Schumacher, JC Schoonmaker and Ben Ogden. Prior to the 2023-24 season, the men had not had a podium since 2017.
Supporters continued to pack the course as the women took to the track. Diggins ran near the end of the start list, with every fan’s eyes on the local girl as she pushed for a top result. She left everything on the course, gasping for air and collapsing at the finish, but skied into third place to secure the podium. Surrounded by her family, friends and teammates, Diggins cried happy tears through the awards ceremony.
“It wasn’t even about the podium,” she said. “I just had the best day ever out there. No one had more fun than me, except maybe Gus because it’s his day! I’m so proud of him. It was so emotional. The whole team was over the moon for him. That was an incredible day.”
More than that, the Stifel Loppet Cup in Minneapolis was about bringing World Cup cross country ski racing back to the United States for the first time in more than 23 years. 40,000 fans showed up over the two days with signs, banners and cowbells. Tears were shed by athletes, staff, and fans throughout the weekend: the first time the skiers skied the buffed-out track, when crowds walked miles to pack the stands and sides of the course, when the U.S. national anthem was sung over the loudspeaker, when thousands of young girls and boys lined up for autographs from their heroes and get glitter put on their cheeks.
“I feel like this whole weekend was huge for the growth of skiing in this country,” said Diggins, who had been a massive part of bringing this World Cup to her hometown. “Everyone got to see how much people love this sport. People are psyched. We wanted this for a long time. It’s incredible that we got to experience it together and share it.”
Rounding out the Americans, Stifel U.S. Ski Team’s Sophia Laukli snagged a top 15 result in 15th place. Julia Kern was 19th and Rosie Brennan 22nd and Haley Brewster 25th. Brewster had her first two World Cup starts in Minneapolis and secured impressive results. Sydney Palmer-Leger was 32nd, Kendall Kramer 36th, Movie McCabe 37th, Margie Freed 41st, Sammy Smith 42nd, Alexandra Lawson 50th and Alayna Sonnesyn 51st.
On the men’s side in the top 30, Scott Patterson was 22nd, Zanden McMullen 25th and John Steel Hagenbuch 30th. David Norris was 35th, Luke Jager 39th, Hunter Wonders 47th, Peter Wolter 52nd, Walker Hall 56th, Michael Earnhart 61st, Reid Goble 64th and Brian Bushey 67th.
By Lynn Binnie Whitewater Banner volunteer staff whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
New state district maps that were submitted to the state Supreme Court by Governor Evers, passed by the Republican majority Senate and Assembly on February 13, and signed by Governor Evers on February 19, are expected to result in new state representatives for the Whitewater area. Effective in January, 2025, our area, which is currently represented by one of two Republicans in the Assembly, will be located Assembly District 43, which is generally expected to lean Democratic. Our transition in the Senate will not occur until January, 2027. Our current senator is a Republican, but our new Senate District 15 is expected to lean Democratic.
The Walworth County portion of the City of Whitewater is currently represented by Ellen Schutt (R) in the Assembly. Schutt resides in Clinton, which is not located in the new Assembly District 43. The Jefferson County portion of the city is currently served by Rep. Scott Johnson (R), who lives outside of Jefferson, which is also not located in the new district. Neither Schutt or Johnson’s office indicated to the Banner that they intend to move. It appears that no current Assembly members reside in this new district. This seat will be up for election in November, 2024.
All of the city and most of the area towns are in Senator Steve Nass’s current district, number 11. Nass (R) resides in La Grange, which is just outside the new Senate District 15. He will continue to represent the Whitewater area until January, 2027, as he was most recently elected in 2022. LaGrange is the one nearby town that Nass will continue to serve if he is re-elected. Senator Mark Spreitzer (D) represents the current District 15, and since his residence in Beloit is also in the new District 15, he would represent our area if he runs successfully for re-election in 2026.
The state will soon be updating their website where a citizen may enter their street address in order to confirm their districts. According to the online maps, in addition to the city of Whitewater, Assembly District 43 will include the towns of Richmond, Cold Spring, Whitewater, Johnstown, Lima, Milton, and Fulton, as well as the city of Milton and a very small portion of Janesville. Based on the 2022 election, this district is estimated to be approximately 55% Democratic, 43% Republican, and 2% Independent. Most sources seem to expect the district to lean Democratic, though at least one source sees it as one of the relatively few “competitive” districts.
In addition to all of Assembly District 43, Senate District 15 will include most of the city of Janesville, all of Beloit, and various towns. Based on the 2022 election, this district is estimated to be approximately 57% Democratic, 41% Republican, and 2% Independent. Most sources anticipate that it will lean Democratic.
On December 22, 2023 the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that the current state districting maps were unconstitutional and had to be redrawn in time to be used in the fall 2024 elections. The maps had been said to be among the most gerrymandered in the country, and had contributed to Republican control of the legislature for over a decade. Although Wisconsin is considered to be a “purple” state, Republicans currently hold a 64-35 majority in the Assembly and a 22-10 majority in the Senate, with one Democratic-leaning Senate seat vacant. A number of new map proposals had been submitted to the Supreme Court, which had stated that if the legislature and governor could agree on a set of maps, the court would accept them.
According to an article on wpr.org, at least 32 counties and 21 municipalities have passed advisory referendums supporting the establishment of a nonpartisan commission to develop the map proposals for the redistricting that is required after each U.S. census. Iowa established such a commission in 2010.
The current redistricting will not affect the federal Congressional districts. A lawsuit filed in the state Supreme Court in January seeks to challenge those maps. The state is currently represented in the House by six Republicans and two Democrats.
There were two primary races for supervisor in the Town of Richmond on February 20. In each case there were three candidates, and the two top vote getters will be on the April 2 spring general election ballot.
Richmond Town Board Supervisor 3 Martin J. Brunner 19 Steven Wade 112 (Incumbent) David Alexander 164 Write-in 1 Total Votes 296
Richmond Town Board Supervisor 4 Mike Bergman 165 Martin J. Brunner 21 Tom Kraus 109(Incumbent) Write-in 1 Total Votes 296
Paul Jhona writes of the Whitewater Limestone quarry that’s off South Franklin Street near the bypass, “Those are some good sized vehicles at the bottom of the quarry; I forgot to do the math on how deep it is!”
Our thanks to Paul Jhona for another interesting photo from his drone.
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Editor’s note: The following announcement was received from Tom Grosinske, Washington School Principal.
The Student Council at Washington Elementary held a boxed food collection at the beginning of February for the Whitewater Food Pantry. The goal of the food drive was to collect enough boxed food items to create a domino chain throughout the hallways. On Wednesday, February 14th, the boxed food items were set up in the main hallway of Washington. The boxed food items chained their way through the kindergarten hallway, past the office, down the stairs past first grade, and ended in the second grade hallway. The entire school lined the hallways to cheer on the boxed food domino chain! Mr. G pushed over the first box, which started the domino effect. Along the way, some items didn’t quite push over the box in front of them, but with the help of some student council members, the chain effect continued throughout the hallway. The boxed food drive was a success!
On Saturday, February 17, the Whitewater Girls’ Wrestling Team traveled to Campbellsport to participate in the Girls’ Wrestling Sectional, all hoping to end up on the top of the podium in their weight class to punch their ticket to the Girls’ State Wrestling Tournament at the Kohl Center in Madison.
Ema Aranda Pins Her Competitor in the Sectional Finals
It was a great day filled with lots of excitement for the Whippet fans and the highs of highs and the lows of lows for the coaches as the day progressed. The day started outstanding for the Whippets with all 8 of the girls reaching the semi-finals. Starting the day off was Silvia Harris (107) who was competing against a girl she had lost to twice this season. She did not let that bother her as she was able to secure a pin. Just moments later Giulia Ristagno (126) drew a girl she had lost to 3 times this year. Coaches just told her that she was getting closer each time and to have confidence. Giulia came out with the first takedown putting the girl to her back and secured the pin. Also getting a first-round pin was Katie Rojas-Reyes (120) who wrestled very well in her opening match of the tournament.
The semi-final round was a lot of fun for the girls and the Whippet fans as there were lots of arms raised. At one point, the Whippets had a girl on their back on two mats right next to each other. Giulia Ristagno and A’lani Ross both got pins within five seconds of each other to really get the crowd in our section roaring! A’lani started her match showing just how strong she is by lifting the girl up on the edge of the mat, bringing her inbounds, and eventually pinning her. Also getting pins for the Whippet Girls were Ema Aranda (100), Lauren Buehler (114), and Marianna Kubicz (185). That put the team with 6 pins and 6 finalists to close out the round. Coming up short in the round included Silvia Harris who wrestled an extremely good girl who ended up easily winning her weight class. Also coming up short was Katie Rojas-Reyes. falling as well to the girl who ended up winning her weight class.
The finals started off very well for Whitewater as Ema Aranda battled back from a deficit but stayed patient and ended up pinning her opponent in the second period to secure her ticket to state. It was a very cool scene to see the first ones coming off the mat were her sister and Coach Gomez, her uncle, to celebrate the achievement.
Lauren Buehler followed, making fast work of her opponent with a 22 second takedown to secure her second trip to the state tournament. She knew coming in it was going to be a tough weight class, and it was exciting for the coaches to see her just push through and wrestle very well with two pins on the day.
Myia Cobbs had an interesting day as our 3rd girl to qualify for the state tournament. On Friday night we had prepared for a couple of girls whom she had seen before and did have success against but just wanted to clean things up for them. When weigh ins came around, neither girl was present and Myia got a default to the state tournament! She was excited, however did want to be on the mat pinning girls like her teammates!
Unfortunately, there were the lows coaches experience as the Whippets dropped two tough matches in the championship where they were close matches but came up just short. Giulia Ristagno (126), A’lani Ross (132), and Marianna Kubicz (185) each lost in the finals and are considered alternates for the state tournament with their runner-up finish.
Trackwrestling does keep unofficial team scores, and the Whitewater Girls were in first place at the end of the tournament! Well done, ladies!
The three qualifiers will compete in Madison at the Kohl Center at 3:00 on Thursday afternoon, February 22, in a sixteen-person bracket, looking to climb into the top 6 in the state for their weight classes.
Article Submitted by John Schimming Whitewater High School Head Wrestling Coach jschimming@wwusd.org Photo courtesy of Kenzie Schimming
Updated 2/21/14 @ 5:15 p.m. to add School Board special meeting on 2/22 and to add the agenda for the Parks & Recreation Board on 2/21.
Whitewater Unified School District Legislative Breakfast – Monday @ 8:00 a.m. Whitewater High School Library, 534 South Elizabeth Street Agenda (click on “meetings” in upper right corner) includes meeting with state legislators to discuss Mental Health Supports & Special Education Funding,2023 Senate Bill 973, Multilingual Services Funding, State Funding for Post-Secondary Options for Students, ACT 20 Timeframe/Implementation.
Irvin L. Young Library Board of Trustees – Monday @ 6:30 p.m. Agenda includes library building project update. Library Community Room, 431 West Center St. *In Person and Virtual Citizens are welcome (and encouraged) to join our webinar via computer, smart phone, or telephone. Citizen participation is welcome during topic discussion periods. Please click the link below to join the meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87682878385?pwd=ckcrZXdDNzlCZmk4aWVqSmh1V3hNQT09 Telephone: +1 312 626 6799 Meeting ID: 876 8287 8385 Passcode: 02376455
City of Whitewater Common Council Meeting – Tuesday @ 6:30 p.m. Agenda includes closed session to discuss Negotiation of Aquatic and Fitness Center Agreement with School District to be followed by open session, Discussion and possible action regarding staffing study proposals received by Police Dept for RFP, Discussion and possible action to go out to RFP for building inspection services, Discussion and possible action regarding awarding contracts for Ann Street and Fremont Street reconstruction, Forest Avenue reconstruction, North Fremont Street reconstruction, and Vanderlip pumping station and force main construction. Whitewater Municipal Building Community Room, 312 West Whitewater St. *In Person and Virtual Citizens are welcome (and encouraged) to join our webinar via computer, smart phone, or telephone. Citizen participation is welcome during topic discussion periods. Please click the link below to join https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81424094861?pwd=LGrzlYy6fqnIXD7F0dXIKfrOEbqv9g.6H62QjUP9dfbPsiz Telephone: +1 (312) 626-6799 US Webinar ID: 814 2409 4861 Passcode: 840852
City of Whitewater Parks & Recreation Board – Wednesday @ 5:30 p.m. Agenda includes Discussion and possible action regarding renaming East Gate Park and Discussion and possible action regarding long term rental of Starin Park Building to Immanuel Anglican Church. Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84598753795?pwd=YnRGcW92N3hQY21Hek1aYjhIaUZTdz09 Meeting ID: 845 9875 3795 Passcode: 931339 Dial by your location • +1 312 626 6799
Thursday, February 22, 2024 Whitewater Unified School District School Board – Special Meeting – Thursday @ 7:30 p.m. Whitewater High School 534 South Elizabeth Street Open session: High School Library Closed session: Room 267 Agenda is to adjourn to closed session to discuss Board member’s allegations that district employees failed to adhere to District policies and conduct by a certain school board member, to be followed by open session for possible action on any matters discussed in closed session.
On Saturday, February 17, the Whitewater Wrestling Team traveled to Campbellsport with 9 individuals hoping to wrestle their way into the top 3 in their weight class and punch their ticket to the WIAA Individual State Wrestling tournament. I was a very busy day for the Whippets as there were also 8 girls competing vying for the championship and to also qualify. (Girls’ information is in a separate article.)
Jarvis Porcaro
The end of the day showed the best performance the coaching staff has ever been a part of at the sectional wrestling tournament. At the end of the day, the Whippets found themselves in 2nd place as a team with the unofficial WIAA scores. Five of the nine wrestlers found themselves still competing in the last round, with four of the five securing victories and punching their ticket to the state tournament taking place at the Kohl Center in Madison.
Leading the way of Qualifiers was Jarvis Porcaro (120). Jarvis had a very tough opponent in the semi-finals but battled his way back in the wrestle-backs, defeating an opponent for the 4th time this season, which over the years has proven to be a difficult task. Jarvis then followed with a first period pin in the 3rd place match to secure his place in state. The crowd then got to witness Jarvis running into an unexpected Coach Sedano’s arms knocking him over!
Up next, Connor Friend was defeated by a big time throw in the semi-finals and had to wrestle his way back to 3rd place. Connor pinned his first opponent in quick fashion and then had to face a familiar foe whom he too defeated 3 times previously. This opponent is very strong and quick, so there was much nervousness for Coach Schimming. Connor was not going to be denied and pinned him in the second period. Connor finished the day 3-1 with three pins.
Odair Porras (150) had a very good day with only one hiccup in the semi-finals. Odair came out in the first match with lots of intensity, building a big lead in takedowns before securing a pin. In the wrestle-backs he also had a familiar foe but made quick work, pinning him in the second period. In the 3rd place match, Odair wrestled a young man who was very tough in the top position. Odair made sure to not stay on the bottom by getting three takedowns in the first period and piled on more in the 2nd period when he started to chip away at his opponent’s will and pinned him in the 3rd period. Because Odair did not wrestle the opponent who took 2nd he got a true second wrestle-back and continued wrestling well, winning 9-4 and securing a runner-up finish.
Rounding out the qualifiers was Sebastian Cuellar (165). Sebastian had a quick pin in the first round and in the semi-finals wrestled a familiar foe who we knew was extremely flexible and difficult to pin. Sebastian wrestled very smart and was able to secure a technical fall 18-3 for the win. Sebastian fell in the championship match to a solid student from Kewaskum. He did have to wrestle back to hold onto his second-place finish and did very well again, wrestling very intelligently both on his feet and on the mat. He held his position as a runner-up with an 11-3 victory.
Coming up just short was Payton Lyon (190) who pinned his first opponent in the first round. In the semi-finals he lost to the number 2 ranked student in the state, and he definitely showed us why this is his ranking! Payton was able to come back with a pin to go into the 3rd place match. Unfortunately, Payton came up just short of his state tournament berth, which was his goal coming into the season. Payton has nothing to be disappointed in. He had 33 wins on the year and has Conference Champion to his name. The coaches feel he is not done on the mat as he does have aspirations at the next level.
Also competing for the Whippets were Jasen Porras, Brady Friend, and Traysen Thomason. All three of these gentlemen wrestled their hearts out but were unable to extend their season. They have no reason to hang their heads as they all had a great season and all three will return next year to continue with or re-establish their goals.
All four wrestlers will compete at the Kohl Center on Thursday night, February 22, at 7:00.
Article Submitted by John Schimming Whitewater High School Head Wrestling Coach jschimming@wwusd.org Photo courtesy of Kenzie Schimming
Editor’s note: The following press release was received on February 19 from Larry Kachel, who currently serves as president of the Whitewater Unified School District School Board.
“Today I am announcing that I will not be seeking re-election for a position on the Whitewater Unified School Board. I apologize for the short notice, but as of early January I have been presented with a great opportunity to merge my Brookfield-based investment practice with another group, starting in 2025. Although I am not retiring for several years, the amount of work involved in a merger during 2024 and 2025 will be immense. I simply will not have time, nor can I honor a commitment, for three more years of service on the Board.
I will remain on the Board until my term expires in April of this year. Unfortunately, my name will still appear on the ballot. There are two seats up and two quality candidates are still running, so please give your support to incumbent Maryann Zimmerman and to Jeff Tortomasi.
I am proud to have had a small role in approving much needed math and reading curriculum changes to our district, among other things. The early results are quite positive. I have enjoyed the broad diversity of opinions held by all of our current board members and have especially enjoyed sitting in classrooms from time to time, watching our great teachers and staff work with our students.
It has been my pleasure serving the District the past three years.”
